Soldiers operating Britain’s next generation armoured fighting vehicles received medical attention for hearing concerns this summer, despite Ministry of Defence assurances that they are safe and chronic noise issues have been solved. The Ajax vehicle was declared operational this week, after years of delays during which time some soldiers suffered long-term hearing damage.
On Wednesday, Luke Pollard, minister for defence procurement, said during a visit to the General Dynamics plant producing the vehicles in Merthyr Tydfil that the noise problems “are firmly in the past”. “We would not be putting it in the hands of our frontline forces if it were not safe,” Pollard said. “I’ve been reassured from the top of the army down to the folks at work on the platform that it is safe and those lessons have been learned.”
However, during trials of Ares — the armoured personnel carrier configuration of Ajax — held over the summer, officials said “a small number of soldiers reported noise and vibration concerns. As is standard practice, some of these personnel were processed through the military medical centre.” These health issues were first reported by Defence Eye, a news website focused on UK defence issues, which claimed that during trials of the Ares this summer, reports from observers had found that there was a “very high prevalence of tinnitus, serious headaches and loss of balance/motion issues, with some hospitalisations, at least for checks and observations”, it said. “If you look at the words used about noise and vibration [in relation to Ajax, all they have ever said is these issues have been mitigated,” said Francis Tusa, author of Defence Eye.
“No one has ever said they have been resolved. The vehicles still vibrate and they are still noisy.” Officials, however, played down the significance of the medical issues, asserting no instances of tinnitus motion sickness were reported during the trials, and no activities were cancelled or substituted. At least 32 people required medical attention or discharges because of hearing loss during testing of the Ajax as of December 2021, according to a report published that month by the MoD. Since then, modifications have mitigated the noise and vibration problem.
These include seat cushions and double earplugs. On Friday, the MoD said: “Safety of our personnel is a top priority. Ajax has been through rigorous trials and an assured safety process, and the evidence shows it is safe to operate. Where concerns were raised over the summer, these were investigated by a safety team and no systemic issues were found.” It added: “All armoured vehicles produce noise and vibration — we continue to ensure these do not exceed statutory limits.” With the announcement that it is operational by the MoD this week, a squadron of 27 Ajax vehicles could be deployed.
Overall the programme is set to cost £6.3bn, with 589 vehicles due to be delivered.